Tubes



3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

J. E. RICHARD.

MAGHINE FOR BENDING TUBES.

No. 53 65. Patented Feb. 12; 1895.

25 pl/farnr2 [72 van 07?- a! I MIMI I ofo-ggtna. WASHINGTON n c (No Model.) q J. E. RICHARD.

MACHINE FOR BENDING TUBES.

No. 533,965. Patented Peb..12, 1895.

-3 Sheets-Sheet 2'. I Q

' (N0 Modelf) 3 Sheets-Sheet "3.

' J.-E.. RICHARD.

MACHINE FOR BENDINQTUBES.

m 533,965. Patented Feb. 12, 1895.

Wilma/re the following is a specification.

' interchangeable as to its parts for adapting it with the bed in section, and Fig. 2 is a horizontal section or sectional plan of the. ma-

. bent, and Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the ticularly those of brass, copper, lead, block Nl-TED STATES rare.

JEANE. RICHARD, NEW YORK, N. Y.

MACHI-NEI'FORQBENDING TUBES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 533,965, dated February 12, 1895. Application filed June 22,1894. Serial No. 515.342- (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEAN E. RICHARD, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Bending Tubes and Pipes, of which My invention relates to a machine adapted for bending malleable metal tubes, and partin, &c., and the object is to produce a simple and'c'onvenient machine which will bend a pipe or tube smoothly and which is readily to tubes of different diameters and to bends having different radii.

The invention will be fully described hereinafter and its novel features carefully defined in the claims. v

The accompanying drawings illustrate an embodiment of my invention, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine chine, the plane of the section being indicated by line 00 00 in Fig. 1. Fig. 2 is a detached sectional view. of one of the bending wheels and its carrying block. Fig. 2 is a detached sectional View of one of the eccentrics for moving said block, and its yoke; and Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the tube-holder. All of these "detached views are on a scale one and one-half times that of Fig. 2. Fig; 3 is a side elevation and Fig. 4 a plan of a modified form of the machine, in which only one bending wheel is employed. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the machine supplied with three bending wheels, and Fig. 5 is a sectional plan of the same. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of one of the plugs employed for stopping the end of the tube to be p e- I Referring primarily' to Figs. 1, 2, 2 2 and- 2, which illustrate the bending machine provided with two bending wheels-1 is the bed of the machine, which may be bolted down to any form of support. From this'bed rises a spindle, 2, on which is splined the removable bending form, 3. This bending form, as here shown, is in the form of a sheave, having a peripheral, circumferential groove in its face vence of the tube 3 about one third is embraced by the form 3, and about one-third by each of the bending wheels 5; and also that, when the and fits thetube to be wheels 5 are made to close on and grip the tube, the miters on the margins of the bending wheels and those on the margins of. the bending form' 3, meet and fit snugly together. The axes of the form 3 and the oblique bending wheels, are tangent to the circumference of the tube y.

One of the most important features of my invention is the construction of the bendingwheel, and this I will describe with especial reference to Fig. 2 which shows it in section.

Each wheel 5 is composed of several disks, 5 5 5 and 5 placed face to face and adapted to rotate independently on a sleeve, 5, being held in place by collars on said sleeve. I usually make the bending wheel by securing the disks of theproper thickness on a mandrel in the respective positions they are to occupy and then turning. them up together. They are then slippedon the sleeve 5? and up to the head or collar, 5 and fixed thereon by another collar, 5 riveted firmly on the opposite end of the sleeve. In Fig. 2, the miters on the margins of the two outer disks are designated by 5 When the compound bending wheel is turned up, each disk contributes to form a part of the groove-wall in the face of the wheel which impinges on the tubes to be bent.

The bending wheel is mounted in a sliding block, 6, on a journalpin, 5 (see Fig. 2) the ends of which are mounted in the cheeks of the block 6, which embrace the wheel. block 6 is mounted in guides on the side of the'operating arm 4, and moves in and out radially with respect to the tube y embraced. The object of this .movement is to permit the The tube.

tube to be conveniently inserted and removed, and the mechanism for moving both of the bending wheels simultaneously and to the same extent is best illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 In the lever a, are mounted eccentrics, 7, one at the back of each block 6; and fixed to the said block is a yoke, S, which embraces the eccentric for effecting the outward movement or withdrawal of the block. In acting to press the block inward toward the tube, the eccentric 7 impinges on a part, 8*, of the yoke 8, which part is bent at right-angles to the yoke proper and is secured to the block 6 (see Fig. 2 by screws, 8, slotted wedges, 8 being interposed between the part S and the block 6 for purposes of adjustment.

Rotation of the eccentrics to and fro move the blocks 6 to and fro, and the eccentrics are operated by means of a rocker, 9, pivotally mounted on the lever 4, at 9, and coupled to cranks, 7-, on the respective eccentrics 7, by links, 10. The rocker 9 has an operating handle, 9, and is providedwith a spring pawl, 9*, to engage a ratchet, 11, on the lever 4, to hold it when and where set.

In order to hold the end of the pipe y firmly while it is being bent, I provide an adjustable holder therefor mounted on the bed 1. This holder comprises a base-piece, 12, mounted to slide on a guide, 1", on the bed 1, and radially with respect to the spindle 2. It is provided with a slot up through which projects a fixed screw, 13, furnished with a nut, 13, whereby the base-piece may be secured firmly in position on the bed when set. On the basepiece 12, is fixed an upright spindle, 12*, and on this spindle is adjustably secured, by a set-screw, 14., a grooved or fluted bracket, 14:, in which the tube y (see Fig. 2) is placed and secured by a ring-clamp, 14:, and a set-screw, 14*, therein.

It will be seen that the construction shown permits of varied adjustments of the tube with respectto the bending form 3, but I do not limit myself to this particular form of clamp or holder for the tube. It may be held by other means.

Before proceeding to bend a tube on the machine it must be filled with a liquid, sand, or the like. In most cases water is preferred. After filling it, the ends of the tube are closed and the liquid put under some pressure. This I effect by the means I will now describe with reference to Figs. 2 and 6.

A and A represent, each as a whole, the respective plugs for closing the ends of the These are substantially alike, but differ in a way that will be explained. Fig. 6 which represents the compression stopper A illustrates the general construction. In this plug, the body, 15, is of the proper size at one end to fit into the bore of the tube y to be bent and has on it a packing ring, 16, of suitable material. To the body 15 are hinged, at 17, four clamp-jaws, 17, which are concave on their inner faces to fit over the outer surface of the tube 1 convex and conical on their outer faces and screw-threaded to receive a clamping nut, 18. The view in Fig. 6 shows the end of the pipe y clamped in the jaws 17. Extending through a longitudinal bore in the body 15, is a screw plunger, l9, provided with a suitable hand-wheel, 19, for turning it. The other plug, A, seen in Fig. 1, differs from that described in the omission of the plunger 19, and in having on its bodya filling-nipple, 20, adapted to receive a rubber tube, 21. It may also have a screw, 22, to be set into the bore in the body 15, in a manner to close said bore and prevent the escape of theliquid from the tube.

The operation is as follows: A tube, as 1 is stopped at its respective ends by the plugs A and A and filled with a liquid through the plug A. The screw 22, which is merely the equivalent of a cock, is then made to close the bore in the plug A, and the plunger 19 in the plug A is driven in so as to displace a part of the liquid and produce an internal pressure within the tube 11 By coupling the nipple 20 to an ordinary pressure gage by the rubber tube 21, and opening the passage through the plug and nipple, the desired pressure will be indicated on the gage. The tube is now ready to be bent and is secured in the holder as indicated in the drawings. The holder should be so set that the tube will rest in the groove in the bending form 3 and the bending lever 45 adjusted to a position at about a right-angle to the tube y. The bending rollers are now made to press upon the tube firmly and when this is done, they and the form 3 should be in close contact at their mitered margins, as described. The lever 4, which may be of any length desired is now made to swing about the bending form 3, moving in the direction of arrow 2, in Fig. 2, and the tube will be bent as desired. The bending rollers 5 draw the metal of the tube, and being made up 'of independently rotating disks, these latter roll upon the tube at different speeds according to their positions, thus producing an absolutely smooth surface on the bent tube.

The machine shown is capable of bending the tube through more than a half circle at one bending operation, after which the tube may be shifted and the bend continued in the same or the reverse direction.

For making a trap for plumbers use it would be bent to an S-shape. After being bent the tube is taken from the machine and the plugs A and A removed.

In order to adapt the machine to bending forms 3 of different diameters, the lugs 4 may be mounted adjustably on the lever 4, as herein shown. A convenient construction is to bend a bar 4 into a U shape and form the lugs t on the ends of its branches. This bar t is mounted to slide in suitable keeper bearings in the rear face of the lever 4, and it is moved endwise--in order to set the bending wheels 5 nearer to or farther from the hinging axis of the lever,-by means of a screw,

22, mounted in a collared hearing at 23, on the back of the lever, and 'screwingthrough the transverse part of the bar 4 at 24. In order to rotate the screw 22 conveniently, I mount a crank-shaft, 25, in acollared bearing in the lever 4 and drive the screw from it through the medium of miter gears, 26. This particular driving mechanism is not, however, indispensable.

I prefer to employ but two bending wheels for some kinds of work as it leaves a space in the arm 4 for a slot, 27, which allows room forthe pipe to pass in bending; but I may use three wheels, as shown in Fig, 5. The

construction shown in this figure is substan-.

tially the same as that of Figs. 1 and 2,'but a third bending wheel 5 is mounted to move. along the axis of the bending lever 4, between the oblique wheels and the eccentric which operates the block 6 carrying this middle wheel is fixed to the rocker 9.

- For bending tubes or pipes of lead, tin, or other metal not diflicult to draw, a single compound bending'wheel may be employed; but it willbe obvious that in this form of machine the bending whee] can embrace only one-half of the circumference of the tube In Figs. 3 and 4 I have shown how such a single-wheel machine may be constructed.

Theb'ending wheel 5 will be, by preference,

made up of seven disks,.the two outer disks bearing on the bending form and the five inner disks forming the groove-wall which em braces the tube y. I prefer, in order to avoid sharpedges, to recess the outer disks and al v low the adjacent disks to enter the respective recesses, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, where a part of the bending wheel is broken away to illustrate the construction. The bending wheel 5 in this construction is mounted rotatively on a spindle, 28, carried by a slide, 29, onthe bending lever. This latter has a long bearing on the spindle 2, and the slide 29 is moved to and fro by means of a screw,-

31, collared in a bearing, 31 on the lever. The tops of the spindles 2 and-28, are connected by an adjustable tie-link, 32,'to prevent them from spreading.

I have shown in Fig. 4 a device which may also, to advantage, be applied to the con structions where two or three bending wheels are employed. This device consists of an auxiliary bending wheel carried by an arm and adaptedto impinge on the tube ahead of the point where the main bending wheel or wheels bear thereon. In Fig. 4, 33 is a bracketarm, mounted adjustably onthe slide 29 and carrying a spindle, 34, on which is rotatively mounted the auxiliary v bending wheel, 35. This wheel should be so set that it will always bear on the tube at a point ahead of the factory as the performance of such functions automatically. As stated, the wheel 35 will also be applied to the construction where two and three main bending wheels are used, but

I have not deemed it necessary to show it in all of the figures.

2 In Fig. 3, the bracket 33' is broken away and the spindle firmly in place when set.

In operating my bending machine the tube may be first bent abouta form of large diameter and then be re-bent about a' form of lesser diameter, thereby effecting the bending and drawing of the metal by degrees.

The bending form 3 is made like a sheave forconvenience, but only a part of its perlphery will be utilized. In setting up the machine the bending form will be placed between the lugs 4", on the lever 4, and the form and lugs then slipped down on the spindle 2. The lower lug will have a recess (not shown), to enable it to pass the spline on the spindle which holds the form against rotation. I employ liquid to fill the pipe or tube when, it is desired to detect leaks. \Vhere this is not necessary, sand serves as a good substithe combination with a bending form and a lever to carry the bending wheel or wheels, of a grooved bending wheel composed of independently rotatable disks, substantially as set forth. 7 n 2. In a machine for bending tubes and pipes, the combination with a bending form and a lever to carry the bending wheels, of the said Wheels, composed of independently rotatable disks and mounted with their'axes oblique to each other'and tangent to the axis'of the tube b eing bent, substantially as set forth.

3. In a machine for bending tubes and pipes, the combination with a bed, an upright spindle thereon, and a bending form mounted removably on the said spindle, of a bending lever provided with lugs for hinging it to the ing-forms of different diameters, and whereby they may also be shifted in order to place and remove the tube, substantially as set forth.

4. In a machine for bending tubes and pipes, the combination with the bed, the upright spindle thereon for carrying the bending form adjusted, a spindle or upright, 12, on the base-piece, a bracket 14, mounted adjustably on said upright 2, and a clamping band for securing the tube to said bracket, substantially as set forth.

5. In a machine for bending tubes and pipes, a grooved bending roller comprising a series of disks mounted rotatively between collars on a sleeve 5", in combination with a IO block 6, and a journal-pin 5 which extends through the sleeve 5, and has bearings in said block, substantially as set forth. G. In amachine forbendingtubes and pipes, the combination with the bending form and I5 its spindle, the bending lever mounted on said spindle and adapted to swing concentrically aboutthe same, the bending rollers 5, mounted in sliding blocks 6, on the lever, the said i blocks, and the means for operating said blockssirnultaneously, said means comprising yokes 8, mounted on the blocks, eccentrics 7, mounted in the bending lever and engaging said yokes, a rocker 9, mounted on the operating lever, links connecting said rocker with cranks on the respective eccentrics, and

means substantially as described for holding said rocker in position when set, as set forth.

7. A stopper for the end of a pipe or tube to be bent, comprising a tubular body 15, adapted to enter the pipe or tube, clamp-jaws 17, hinged on said body, said jaws being tapelted and screw-threaded externally, and a nut 18, to screw over the jaws, substantially as set forth.

8. A stopper for the end of a pipe or tube to be bent, comprising a tubular body, 15, adapted to enter the pipe or tube, clamp-jaws l7, hinged on said body and externally tapered and screw-threaded, a nut 18, adapted to screw over said jaws, and a plunger 19, which screws through the bore in the body of the plug, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JEAN E. RICHARD.

Witnesses:

HENRY CONNETT, PETER A. Ross. 

